Homemade
lemonade is one of summer's best treats. And while there's a simple
perfection in the traditional version, made with nothing more than
lemons, sugar and water, lemonade also offers itself up for a multitude
of tasty variations on the theme. A good spiked homemade lemonade makes
the perfect accompaniment to all those summertime barbecues; if you're
looking for something a little different than plain ol' vodka dumped
into a pitcher of lemonade, try out one of these fun recipes…

Note: All of these recipes can
be made sans alcohol as well; you'll just need to add water (plain or
sparkling) to taste.

Muddle the mint with the sugar
and a little of the water using a spoon, until the mint aroma is
released. Stir in the remaining water, lemon juice and vodka, and let
the mixture sit for at least a half hour in the fridge, and up to a
couple of hours. Strain, pressing on the mint leaves to extract all the
liquid, and serve in a pitcher. Pour into old-fashioned glasses over
plenty of ice. Garnish with lemon wedge or mint sprig.

watermelon
limeadeI like to make this with
gin, for an added grapefruitiness to the flavor, but if you're not a gin
fan, vodka works dandy as well.

Make watermelon juice by
pureeing the cubed melon in a blender, then straining to get rid of the
sludge. Swirl the solids with a spoon to get out all that good juice.
Mix the juice, simple syrup, lemon juice, grenadine, and vodka. Serve in
a pitcher; pour into Collins glasses with plenty of ice. Garnish with
lime wedge.